After the flak over his comments on religious tolerance in India at the fag-end his New Delhi visit last month, President Barack Obama has welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent public condemnation of violence against any religion and assurance that his Government will ensure equal respect to all faiths.
“The President welcomed Prime Minister Modi’s February 17 condemnation of religious-based violent acts, and his assurance that his Government will give equal respect to all religions,” the White House said on its website in response to an online petition. The petition, launched by the New York-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) ahead of Obama’s India visit and signed by over 125,000 supporters, had asked the US President to raise the issues “Sikh Genocide” of 1984 and “Sikhs’ right to self-determination” during the visit. It also wanted him to question “why the Indian Constitution labels Sikhs as HindusIJ”
Without going into those Sikh-specific issues, the White House’s just-released response to the petition said President Obama discussed the importance of religious freedom and tolerance in India during his address at the Siri Fort Auditorium on January 27. “President Obama underscored that India’s success depended on the nation not being ‘splintered along the lines of religious faith’,” it said in a repetition of the line that did not go down well with supporters of the BJP-led NDA Government, but was quickly hailed by its critics.
Referring to Obama’s observation that “in both our countries, in India and in America, our diversity is our strength”, the White House response added: “We are committed to working with India to reaffirm this principle not just within our own countries but around the world.” The SFJ, reacting to the response, said in a statement: “White House’s response to Sikh group’s petition is yet another reminder to PM Modi that India’s success depends on giving all religious communities freedom and right to profess, practice and propagate their faith without the fear of persecution.”